


Saturdays at Lucy's

by Lize



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Fluff, M/M, Smut, drugs/alcohol, probably mostly fluff bc I'm weak
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-16
Updated: 2016-01-31
Packaged: 2018-05-14 06:28:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5732923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lize/pseuds/Lize
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Louis moved to the city to study he thought it would be an exciting new chapter in his life. Now though, entering the third year of his degree and feeling more bored than ever, Louis has hopes that a part time job at the bar down the road will be just what he needs to bring adventure back into his life. Maybe that adventure will be in the form of the long-haired boy from the band that plays there on Saturday nights, who likes to sing with a wine bottle grasped between his fingers... then again maybe it won't.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Half a litre of off milk, two apples with more bruise than fruit and an empty Cadbury wrapper. 

The fluorescent light illuminated Louis' frown before he sighed and slammed the fridge door, possibly a little harder than necessary when a couple of alphabet magnets clattered to the ground noisily. 

Fucking great.

After picking up the mess of letters (because honestly if someone stood on one of those that would be some ungodly lego-in-foot pain), Louis spun on his heel and stormed through the apartment. He weaved his way around mis-matched armchairs and coffee tables piled high with last week's dishes, long-forgotten textbooks acting as coasters.

"Niall!" He banged on his roommate's door twice.

"Mhmph?" Came the muffled response.

"Where the _fuck_ is all the food? I swear to god if you forgot to do the shopping, _again_ , I'll fucking eat you instead!"

Okay maybe not his finest choice of words, proven when the door swung open to reveal the Irish boy, shirtless, and with a massive smirk plastered across his face.

"Alright there Lou? Didn't know you felt that way about me."

"Oh piss off." Honestly Louis is usually the first to appreciate a good sex joke, but right now he is hungry and tired and grumpy and hungry. It's nine o'clock and after a long day of classes and an hour-long commute home all he wanted to do was eat and sleep. "Did you get the food or not?"

"Um, I'm going to go with 'not'." At least Niall had the conscience to look guilty while he scratched himself through his boxers. "Sorry mate."

Louis groaned and turned around, stomping a little dramatically as he made his way back through the apartment. He grabbed his phone from the kitchen bench and slammed the door behind him before making his way down the stairs and out onto the street. 

The nearest supermarket was a 20 minutes away - not an inconvenient distance but not really a walk he'd like to make at nine o'clock at night. Just his luck that his car chose this week to die on him, although if he's being honest the old Lancer had been hinting on a trip to the mechanic for months now. Unfortunately, with bills to pay and food to buy, having his car serviced wasn't exactly high-priority, and now he's paying the price.

Louis crossed his arms tightly, trying to protect his body from a chilling gust of wind that dislodged a plastic bag from the muddy gutter, sending it tumbling down the road. He wished he'd grabbed a jacket before he left. It was only a couple of weeks into Autumn but already the temperature was beginning to drop, and it was looking to be a dreary Winter. 

He always hated Winter. It was so bleak and grey and the continuous threat of rain, or worse - snow, was usually enough to prevent him from going out and having fun. Not that he went out much in Summer, but at least the option was there. Louis sighed. There was a time when he was the epitome of "social butterfly", constantly catching up with friends, going to parties, drinking too much and waking up in peculiar locations (he still doesn't know how he managed to get onto the roof of the school gym that one time). He used to have _adventures_ , but that was before he moved to the city. 

Now he had Niall. Don't get him wrong, he loved his housemate, but one friend does not a social life make. He had tried to befriend numerous classmates, but with their private school backgrounds and pre-formed friendship groups he eventually decided it wasn't worth the effort. Besides, what would they even talk about? 

Another frosty gale whipped along the pavement, causing a fluttering paper to catch Louis' eye. It was attached to the door of a dark-fronted building which Louis soon recognised to be Lucy's Bar, which he had frequently wandered past, but never ventured into. Louis shook his head, honestly if 18-year-old Louis could see him now he would be disgusted. There was a bar a mere fifteen minutes from his house and he'd _never_ been there. It was despicable.

The building almost shook which the pulsations of a dirty bass line. Louis could feel the vibrations in his chest, recalling memories of hot clubs, late nights and too many tequila shots. 

As he wandered closer he was able to read what was written on the slightly crumpled page: "NOW HIRING". Louis nodded slightly to himself and made to continue on his way, but after only a few steps he paused in place and did a double take of the bold print. "NOW HIRING". Louis needed money, no one could deny that. He also needed a social life, and what better place to find one than a bar. That's what people did in the city did right, meet other people in bars?

As if to prove his point, at that exact moment a gaggle of girls stumbled out the door, barely sparing Louis a glance as they careened down the street, reckless laughter filling the air around them. Why hadn't he thought of getting a job before? Well, he knew why. He hated work, with a passion, but working in a bar wouldn't be like proper work. It'd be fun work... hopefully. Regardless, an extra couple of dollars a week wouldn't go astray.

Having made his decision, Louis quickly glanced at his reflection in the front window, fixing his hair and trying to make his clothes look less like he didn't own an iron (to be fair he _didn't_ own an iron). He took a deep breath as he reached for the door handle.

Here goes nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Playlist: Arcade Fire - Wasted Hours**
> 
> So this is a new thing I'm really excited to be working on. Just a short prologue to introduce Louis but if you're keen to see how this plays out hmu on [tumblr](http://sweetnsourstyles.tumblr.com/) or in the comments. Thanks team!


	2. I

The first thing Louis noticed when he walked into Lucy's was the smell. Smoke, beer, sweat and a hint of weed wafted through the air. A bouncer gave Louis' I.D. a cursory glance before ushering him down the small corridor. On one side a window opened into an unmanned cloakroom while the other wall was adorned with band posters, to the point that the wall was no longer visible behind them. 

A few steps later and Louis was rounding a corner into the main room of the bar. The place was crowded. On the far wall thirsty patrons were packed tightly around the bar, waving their hands to get the bartenders' attention. Hung above the bar, a red neon sign that read "Lucy's" in cursive lit up the exposed brick wall. The sign was flanked by shelves stacked with colourful bottles of spirits and wines. 

To Louis' left, at the far end of the room, sweaty bodies moved in waves in front of a low stage where a DJ nodded along to the beat he was creating. Purple and blue moving head lights lit up the smoke that poured from a little machine on the corner of the stage, creating silhouettes of the dancing figures. 

At the opposite end of the room lay a series of red vinyl booths and round bar tables with groups crowded around them, engrossed in animated conversation. In one booth, Louis noted with amusement, a man was attacking a women's neck with almost aggressive vigour, one hand pushed up under her skirt. Her closed eyes and open mouth left no supposition as to what that hand was doing and Louis chuckled to himself. Nice to see this was a classy establishment. Near the booths, at the far corner, was a glass sliding door that led out to what Louis supposed was some kind of beer garden. Louis could just make out the reflection of fairy lights hung from tree to tree. 

Louis turned his attention back to the bar. There was no way he was going to make it through that throng to speak to a staff member. He sighed heavily. Maybe he should just come back tomorrow, or maybe this was a sign that this was a stupid idea anyway. Either way, there's nothing he can do tonight. Louis spun on his heel to head back outside, but was stopped in place when he crashed straight into what appeared to be a brick wall.

"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry!" the brick wall yelled over the music, and wow, okay, the brick wall was a _person_. 

Louis stepped back and looked up at the man standing in front of him. He was only a few inches taller than Louis but his broad chest and shoulders made him seem bigger. He wore a crisp white shirt and black pants with dress shoes. He had short brown hair and brown eyes and although he wasn't really Louis' type he's not going to lie: he'd probably go there. 

Just as Louis opened his mouth to stutter his own apology he felt a dampness on his front and looked down to see a wet patch seeping though the front of his shirt. It was then that he registered the empty glass in Brick Wall's hand and made the connection. Fucking great, he'll be even colder for the walk home. 

Now wanting to get out of this place as soon as possible he tried to usher the man away. 

"It's fine mate."

"No, no it's not fine. I'm so sorry, let me get you a drink."

Louis snorted. "Yeah good luck getting one from that bar."

Brick Wall looked momentarily puzzled before he shook his head. "Oh, no it won't be a problem. I'm the manager here, actually. Now, what are you drinking?"

Louis was stunned. Well this was...lucky.

"I'm not drinking actually."

"Oh? Are you the designated driver?"

Louis laughed. "No. I actually just came in because I saw the sign on the door." 

Brick Wall looked confused.

"'Now hiring'," Louis quoted.

"Oh! Yes of course! Wait, do you mean you're interested in a job?"

"Uh... yes?"

Brick Wall positively beamed. "Great! When can you start?"

"Wait, what?" There was no way he'd just been given a job. He'd barely said two words to the man. 

"Would tomorrow be okay? I know it's short notice but Saturdays are always crazy and we need all the help we can get."

"Um, I suppose, yeah, but don't you want to like, interview me first?"

"Ideally yes, but unfortunately I really don't have time. We're pretty desperate, and if you're shit I can always just fire you."

"Oh great," Louis offered sarcastically.

"I'm sure you'll be fine." Brick Wall smiled warmly. "So if it's alright with you I'll get you to come in early tomorrow, say 4pm, and I'll train you up. Just come in and ask for Liam. That's me by the way: Liam Payne."

He stuck out his hand and Louis took it, still a bit shaken by the events of the past few minutes. Did he really have a job?

"Louis Tomlinson."

"Nice to meet you Louis. Now are you sure I can't get you a drink? Especially since you've just saved my arse." 

Louis considered it for a moment. Why not? It wasn't like he had anything better to do, and besides, wasn't this whole thing meant to be about having adventures. Admittedly having a couple of beers at a bar was pretty low-grade as far as adventures go, but he's got to start somewhere.

"You know what, I might actually take you up on that. Probably should suss out my new workplace after all. Get the customer experience and all that." 

Liam chuckled. "You can find out what the people really think." 

"I'll go undercover. No one will suspect my true identity."

"Alright James Bond," Liam laughed, "Let's go get you a drink. Martini, I presume. Shaken not stirred?" 

It was Louis' turn to laugh at that. Louis had a feeling he was going to get on well with this Liam fellow. 

"Just a beer would be great." 

Liam smiled and led Louis over to the bar, apologising to the crowd as he pushed their way to the front. All complaints were quickly stifled when Liam stepped behind the counter and began making drinks. 

"There you go mate." A pint of beer was placed on the bar before Louis. "That should keep you going for a bit. Come find me if you want another, otherwise I'll see you tomorrow. 4 o'clock yeah?"

Louis nodded and then Liam was off serving the next customer, leaving Louis with the glass clasped between his hands (did pints get bigger sometime over the past few years?). Louis squeezed his way through the mob to freedom and, feeling in need of a bit of fresh air, made his way to the glass door he'd spotted earlier.

As he'd suspected, it did indeed lead to a beer garden. Outside was a quaint area contained by a wooden fence and lit by pretty strings of lights. Picnic tables held ash trays and a few gas heaters attempted to combat the chilly air. It was just as crowded as inside so rather than try and squish in on one of the tables, Louis snuck over to the corner and took a seat on the edge of the raised garden bed. 

He watched a group of boys laughing as they smoked and drank, smiling fondly as they incited memories of nights out the lads. It'd been months since he'd even spoken to Stan, his best mate from back home, their communication reduced to Facebook likes for the most part. 

Louis had been watching the group for a while, pint nearly finished and head beginning to feel it a little (it really had been a long time - this was embarrassing), when he noticed one of the boys glancing at him every now and then, raising an eyebrow when they made eye-contact. He was cute, sandy blonde hair swept to the side and big eyes that moved up and down Louis' body appreciatively. Louis maintained eye-contact as he took a sip of his drink, quirking an eyebrow of his own. No sooner had he placed his glass back on the ledge than the boy stood up, excusing himself from his friends and making his way over. 

"Hi."

Louis returned the boy's smile. "Hey."

"Mind if I take a seat?" He gestured at the space next to Louis.

"Go ahead."

An hour and three drinks later Louis had the boy's hips gripped in his hands, feeling comfortable buzzed as they moved together in the midst of the dance floor. Eventually the boy spun around in his hands and grinned at him before moving his head forward and meeting Louis' lips eagerly. Both of their mouths immediately opened to the other and Louis felt the boy's tongue against his own. He'd forgotten how fun this was, kissing cute boys in hot clubs. By the time Louis' phone began vibrating incessantly he had one hand in the boy's hair and the other just resting under his shirt, while the boy had a strong grip on his bum. 

On the third call he drew away, murmuring an apology and pulling his phone from his pocket. Seeing three missed calls and five texts from Niall he cursed under his breath before looking back up at the boy. He could stay, just send Niall a message apologising and assuring him of his safety, but when he thought about it he realised he didn't want to sleep with this boy tonight, and now was probably as good a time as any to make his escape. 

"Sorry, I need to head off."

"Oh...okay." The boy looked a little confused but didn't protest. "See you then."

As soon as Louis made it outside he dialled Niall's number, phone barely ringing before his frantic housemate picked up the other end.

"Louis! Where the fuck are you!? Are you okay!?"

"I'm fine Nialler." He began to make his way along the footpath back towards the apartment.It was only as he stepped back through the door of the apartment that his stomach rumbled loudly and he remembered why he set out in the first place.

The food.

Fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Playlist: Arctic Monkeys - Mad Sounds**
> 
> This chapter's pretty short sorry about that. I'm excited for chapter 2 tho bc it's harry time. Kudos definitely motivate me to write more so if you thought this was alright and want to read more pls fuel my ego.
> 
> Also I deleted my old account and remade bc there was a bit of negativity going on and now I need chill blogs to follow so come say hi [sweetnsourstyles](http://sweetnsourstyles.tumblr.com/)


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